NC!

We're in NC! Yippee! The sunlight here is yellow, not blue-gray-white...kind of nice :) Wonderful to see mom and Deb and kick back and play, play, play with the kids with no agenda.

Before we left town, we had a family Christmas back at home, which was awesome! Owen was spectacularly excited and has not stopped talking about his 'two wheel scooter' for big boys...at least until we got here and he found a new Carolina-side scooter from Nunu too! Yesterday I went on a walk with him around the neighborhood while he scooted along, and I could not keep up with him. He can really whizz around! I also got the boys an indoor trampoline with handle; there was no learning curve for them whatsoever. I'm hoping that takes the edge off the long indoor winter afternoons with two rambunctious boys back home.

Tomorrow Daddy arrives! Looking forward to it, we need a man around here! Just 'cause I don't mention my Dad much here doesn't mean we're not thinking about him. He's conspicuously missing from this party, and he would have thoroughly enjoyed hosting his grandkids and watching them enjoy themselves at his place. He's not really missing out though, is he? Last week in Sunday school one of the other teachers was asking the kids about their Christmas preparations at home, and if anyone was taking a trip, etc. A few kids were piping up and then I heard Owen say, "My gwampa died away and he lives in heaven with Jesus now." It's true!

Yesterday we took a little outing to a country pet store. Great! There was an emu, llamas, donkeys, chickens, goats, parrot, a lemur(!), ferrets, a marmoset, hedgehog, a ton of lizards, and the more normal assortment of pets, all really accessible for the kids to look at. Well, it wasn't busy and we asked if Owen could hold one of the puppies (I selfishly asked the clerk for the one *I* loved, despite the fact that Asher was fixated on a chihuahua puppy). She brought out the sweetest jack russell terrier puppy. He was so mild-tempered! He just saw in Owen's lap and enjoyed being petted, no nips or anything. Owen said, "Mommy I LOVE dis puppy. I weally, weally love him, and I don't like dat puppy over dere. He is TOO squeaky." (referring to the chihuahua yipping away) Folks, I am an emotional thinker when in the presence of young animals. (Ask Reuel how we acquired our pet rabbit.) I REALLY wanted to bring home that dog. It was only knowing my already-severe homemaking shortcomings (can I really add more chaos to my life right now? No, it is clear I cannot.) Do I know anything about this breed? (No, but how can a puppy this sweet not be a fit?) Will my husband possibly divorce me if I buy him right now? (No, but the disapproval might be worse to live with than that.) By an extremely tiny margin, my rational side won. And now the next day I can see clearly how close to the precipice I was. Too bad, because probably some wonderful boy-and-his-dog relationships were born of less-than-rational parental choices on the spur of the moment :) At least Owen and Asher will have a less insane mother this way and Reuel won't take away my credit card.